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Posts Tagged ‘symptoms of vitamin b12 deficiency’

Depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders are some of the most pernicious symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency. Most people who suffer the effects of low B12 don’t even know it- not until they start noticing unusual signs like extreme fatigue, memory loss, depression, and dizziness; symptoms that otherwise healthy individuals wouldn’t link to a mere vitamin deficiency, such as vitaminB12 anemia.

Vitamin B12 and the brain

Vitamin B12 is one of the most important nutrients for the brain- it helps to maintain healthy red blood cells, which is needed for delivering oxygen to the brain and other parts of the body.

Thus, depleted levels of vitamin B12 puts your nervous system at risk for damage, as well as impairing your nerve cells’ ability to act efficiently and convey messages quickly to the brain.

Vitamin B12 deficiency also results in oxygen depletion (hypoxia), which causes symptoms such as fatigue, disorientation, and memory loss.

This may explain why many oft-cited scientific studies, doctors have noted a direct correlation between healthy vitamin B12 levels and reduced risk for depression, anxiety attacks, and other mood disorders.

In vegan-oriented societies, such as India, where B12-rich foods such as beef and seafood are shunned, depression and anxiety are epidemic.

Mental illness symptoms

Scientists have noted a variety of mental illnesses, such as depression and anxiety, which often occur as a result of vitamin B12 deficiency, or may be exacerbated by plummeting levels of vitamin B12.

If you suffer from any of these symptoms, it’s important to have your vitamin B12 levels checked right away, in order to avoid misdiagnosis or prolonged symptoms caused by underlying vitamin B12 deficiency.

Mental illness symptoms linked with vitamin B12 deficiency include:

Chronic depression

Anxiety

Bipolar disorder

Panic attacks

Paranoia

Hallucinations

Memory loss

Delusions

Irritability

Aggressive behavior

Brain fog

Inability to focus mentally

Altered sense of taste and smell

In addition to mood disorders, other signs of vitamin B12 may include painful numbness and tingling in the extremities, muscle spasms, learning disorders, difficulty walking, poor motor skills, and difficulty conceiving pregnancy.

Your turn!

Have you noticed any of the early signs of vitamin B12 deficiency, such as extreme fatigue, brain fog, or memory loss?

If so, have you tested for vitamin B12 deficiency?

Do you have any questions or suggestions? Please leave your comments below.

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Although old age is one of the highest risk factors for vitamin B12 deficiency, you don’t need to surrender yourself to symptoms like fatigue, memory loss, or painful numbness in your golden years. By taking necessary precautions, many individuals over the age of 65 are able to prevent developing a deficiency in this vital nutrient, vitamin B12.

What is vitamin B12 deficiency?

Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) is a necessary nutrient that your body uses to produce plenty of healthy red blood cells, synthesize DNA, and maintain nervous system integrity. When your body does not get enough vitamin B12, the result is a severe vitamin B12 deficiency.

B12 deficiency makes you feel constantly tired, forgetful, disoriented, and depressed, in addition to causing unusual symptoms like painful tingling in the hands and feet, and “electric shock” sensations.

Over time, untreated vitamin B12 deficiency may cause debilitating nerve damage, increased risk for heart disease and stroke, or death.

B12 deficiency does not discriminate

It’s a common myth that only senior citizens need to worry about getting vitamin B12 deficiency. While it’s true that your ability to digest vitamin B12 from foods such as beef, chicken, and fish diminishes with age, there are nevertheless many other risk factors for vitamin B12 malabsorption to consider.

In addition to old age, other risk factors for developing severe vitamin B12 deficiency include:

Vitamin B12 deficiency in old age

As a result, many senior citizens suffer fatigue, confusion, memory loss, anxiety, and depression, as a result of an underlying vitamin B12 deficiency that is too often overlooked.

Especially when Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia have already been diagnosed, many physicians fail to realize that dementia symptoms may be exacerbated by undiagnosed vitamin B12 deficiency or pernicious anemia.

Are you experiencing early signs of aging…or do you have vitamin B12 deficiency? Symptoms like premature greying, aching joints, and memory loss that normally occur in old age may not be what you think.

Vitamin B12 deficiency misdiagnosis

Vitamin B12 is essential for many important biological functions throughout the body; vitamin B12 (cobalamin) helps to maintain neurological health, DNA production, and continuous development of normal red blood cells.

Often, symptoms that indicate vitamin B12 deficiency- memory loss, fatigue, vision problems, and chronic pain- are confused with conditions that occur in aging, such as early-onset dementia, arthritis, and glaucoma.

Because symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency usually don’t occur until middle age, and because old age is often a risk factor for developing vitamin B12 deficiency, finding- and treating- the cause of shared symptoms can be tricky, as the rate of misdiagnosis is unusually high.

Treating vitamin B12 deficiency

The most widely-endorsed treatment for vitamin B12 deficiency is supplementation through synthetic vitamin B12 injections. B12 shots are helpful for preventing severe neurological damage or death resulting from pernicious anemia, the most common cause of vitamin B12 deficiency.

However, for complete alleviation of symptoms associated with vitamin B12 deficiency, you may need to supplement beyond the recommended dose of vitamin B12.

Many forms of sublingual or non-dietary over-the-counter (OTC) vitamin B12 supplements are available to help you achieve the goal of total recovery from vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms, and may be taken safely without the need for prescription.

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Pernicious anemia can creep up on you- the seven stages of vitamin B12 deficiency begin with mild symptoms indicating low levels of vitamin B12 (cobalamin), but with time progress into debilitating, sometimes life-threatening illness, including increased risk for heart attack and stroke. Here’s what you should know about the various stages of vitamin B12 deficiency.

If you follow a strict vegan diet prohibiting all meat, fish, and dairy products, then you are a high risk category for malnutrition, one of the most mild and treatable stages of vitamin B12 deficiency. Symptoms of fatigue, memory loss or foot numbness will disappear with supplementation of vitamin B12.

Stage 2- Transient Cobalamin Deficiency

This is also a mild form of vitamin B12 deficiency that requires supplementation in order to reverse symptoms. No sign of damage to the nerves or other impairment is apparent.

There are many causes for this, one of the most common stages of vitamin B12 deficiency. Malabsorption disorder prevents your body from digesting vitamin B12 in dietary form. This is often because of damage to the stomach linings and intestines, or because of an autoimmune disorder. Certain medications and surgical procedures may also inhibit vitamin B12 absorption.

Symptoms of this stage of vitamin B12 deficiency may include:

Extreme tiredness

Confusion

Memory loss

Anxiety

Depression

Painful tingling and numbness in the hands and feet

Muscle spasms

Muscular pain or feebleness

Eye or facial twitches

Sore tongue

Difficulty sleeping

For this stage of vitamin B12 deficiency, it is crucial to replenish vitamin B12 stores immediately without the use of edible cobalamin, but rather an alternate form of vitamin B12 supplement that bypasses the need for digestion.

Sometimes, you have enough vitamin B12 in your total body, but not enough that are in use; when “active vitamin B12” numbers are low, and the majority of the vitamin B12 in your body resides in the liver, you begin to suffer effects of vitamin B12 deficiency, though a blood test may turn up normal.

Of all the stages of vitamin B12 deficiency, this one relies more on attention to the symptoms you’re experiencing, as opposed to blood test results. Untreated, vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to severe nerve damage, emotional disorders, and in rare cases, death.

Stage 5- Subclinical Cobalamin Deficiency

It can take some time, even years, for symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency to develop; if you take a blood screening indicating low serum levels of vitamin B12, but you haven’t noticed any symptoms, don’t hesitate to begin vitamin B12 supplements. Until a further blood test confirms normal healthy levels of vitamin B12, you are still at risk for symptoms such as fatigue, brain fog, anxiety, depression, and muscle weakness.

Stage 6- Clinical B12 Deficiency

During these advanced, yet still treatable stages of vitamin B12 deficiency, symptoms are not yet severe enough to require hospitalization. Nerve damage which occurs at this stage can often be repaired. To stimulate healthy nerves, vitamin B12 is prescribed in large doses, usually in the form of vitamin B12 injections or other cobalamin supplementation that is absorbed into the bloodstream.

Symptoms of long-term vitamin B12 deficiency include:

Chronic fatigue

Severe anxiety

Mood swings

Deep depression

Hallucinations

Paranoia

Frequent numbness or paralysis in hands and feet

Electric shock sensations

Vision problems

Difficulty walking

Poor motor skills

Difficulty swallowing food

Digestive problems

Stage 7- Clinically significant B12 Deficiency

This is one of the most debilitating stages of vitamin B12 deficiency. At this phase, demyelination, the breaking down of the myelin coating that protects your nerve cells is at its advanced stage. Your nerve cells are at risk of being damaged or eradicated permanently by viruses, autoimmune disorders, or inflammation.

Because vitamin B12 is essential for regulating homocysteine, a protein linked to heart attack and stroke, you may also be a high risk factor for heart disease.

If you are a pregnant or nursing mom, it is especially essential to receive immediate vitamin B12 supplementation, as your baby is also at risk for birth defects, failure to thrive, or death.

Symptoms of advanced vitamin B12 deficiency include:

Debilitating fatigue

Difficulty controlling arms and legs

Inability to balance on one leg or sit upright

Difficulty walking without stumbling

Difficulty grasping things with your hands

Vision impairments

Loss of bladder control

Heart palpitations

Breathlessness

Low aerobic endurance

Hallucinations

Paranoia

Depression

Anxiety

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Managing diabetes requires more than just watching your sugar intake- many other factors like exercise, eating habits, and supplementing with nutrients like vitamin B12 are important with diabetes, as well. Here are some tips for diabetes management and reducing your risk for diabetes.

Got metformin?

Metformin is a popular diabetes drug, but it has side effects. Over time, metformin inhibits your ability to absorb vitamin B12 from natural food sources such as meat, fish, and eggs.

You might not notice the effects of vitamin B12 deficiency until it is too late, because the earliest signs don’t occur until vitamin B12 serum levels are at a severe low.

Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency are sometimes mistaken for diabetic neuropathy, both of which affect the nervous system; for that reason, vitamin B12 deficiency is often overlooked in diabetics.

Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency include:

Painful tingling in the extremities (hands, arms, feet, and legs)

Temporary numbness

“Pins and needles”

Burning mouth sensation

Altered sense of taste

Eye twitches

Tremors

Difficulty walking

Chronic fatigue

Depression

Short-term memory loss

Anxiety

A blood test can diagnose vitamin B12 deficiency, but the best indicator is simply the occurrence of symptoms. Only weekly supplementation can get your vitamin B12 levels back to normal.

Other ways to manage diabetes

Every year, scientists discover new methods of preventing your chances of getting diabetes and reducing the symptoms in people diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

Here are more tips that doctors now recommend:

Eat brown rice. According to the latest research, choosing brown over white reducing our risk of getting type 2 diabetes and promotes healthy weight management. The opposite is true of white rice- by making white rice a staple of your diet, you increase your odds of suffering from diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.

Avoid statins. This cholesterol-lowering drug may reduce your risk for heart attack, but it also increases your chances of becoming diabetic.

Drink water. By drinking at least 64 ounces of water per day, you effectively help your body regulate your blood sugar level.

Stay active. Scientific research confirms that exercising each day not only helps you lose weight, it also keeps you from getting diabetes and suffering from a heart attack.

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Pernicious anemia (PA), or vitamin B12 deficiency, can sneak up on you…perniciously. Some of the earliest signs of pernicious anemia include brain fog- here are some symptoms that mean you should get a vitamin B12 blood test, pronto.

How can I get pernicious anemia?

Vitamin B12 is in much of the food you eat every day, but that doesn’t mean you’re necessarily digesting it. A large group of people don’t have the digestive enzyme needed in order to absorb vitamin B12 naturally from protein foods like beef, chicken, fish, milk, and eggs.

Without intrinsic factor, which is made in the stomach, you eventually (sometimes over the course of decades) get vitamin B12 deficiency, which in turn causes a breakdown in your overall health.

Causes of pernicious anemia range from autoimmune disorder to damage to the digestive system.

PA cognitive decline

The first thing you’ll notice with the onset of pernicious anemia is a general decay in your thinking skills, which some describe as “brain fog.” This is due to decreased oxygen in the brain, resulting from less red blood cell production, a common symptom of vitamin B12 deficiency.

If you have pernicious anemia or other forms of vitamin B12 deficiency, you may experience some or all of the following symptoms of cognitive decline:

Constant confusion

Another sign of brain fog is feeling like you don’t understand things happening around you, even if it just takes you a second longer than usual to “get it.” Again, this is not something to be ashamed of, but it does signify a medical condition that requires immediate attention.

Chronic fatigue

Do you wake up feeling exhausted, lethargic, or just too tired to get out of bed, even though you slept well the whole night? Do mundane chores like shopping, running errands, or performing work duties make collapse before the day’s end? Do you always feel achy and weak, as if you ran a marathon, even though you refrain from physical exercise? These are all common signs of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), a disabling condition that often correlates with pernicious anemia.

Breathlessness

Don’t confuse this symptom for panting or being short of breath, which is a sign of hypertension or stress. People with brain fog from pernicious anemia often feel the need to sigh deeply, and sometimes feel that they can never take a long comfortable breath. Like frequent yawning, this is also a sign of insufficient oxygen in the brain.

Mental health

A number of mental illness symptoms correlate strongly with cognitive decline from vitamin B12 deficiency, leading many psychiatrists to misdiagnose patients as insane, when vitamin B12 supplements would significantly reduce the symptoms.

Would you know if you had vitamin B12 deficiency? Sometimes, vitamin B12 malabsorption results from a vegan diet, or as part of the aging process. Often, vitamin B12 deficiency occurs with autoimmune and gastrointestinal disorders like pernicious anemia, Crohn’s disease, and fibromyalgia, making vitamin B12 deficiency one of the most widespread nutritional problems in the US. Do you have one of the 13 illnesses associated with low vitamin B12 absorption?

Diagnosing vitamin B12 deficiency

Certain illnesses mask the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency, contributing to mass under-diagnoses. Many patients of chronic illness who already experience symptoms like fatigue, muscular pain, or mental sluggishness may not realize an underlying problem absorbing vitamin B12, and may never receive a blood screening for low vitamin B12 levels.

If you suffer from one of the following illness correlated with or causing vitamin B12 deficiency, please request a simple blood test immediately.

Please tell us…

Do you have one of the conditions associated with low vitamin B12 levels? Have you been diagnosed with vitamin B12 deficiency, as well? Has supplementation with vitamin B12 reduced any of your symptoms?

Do you have any questions or suggestions? Please leave your comments below.

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If you’ve been diagnosed with vitamin B12 deficiency, then you probably have many questions. How did I get vitamin B12 deficiency, and how soon will I start to feel better? Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about vitamin B12 deficiency.

Q: Why do I need vitamin B12?

A: Vitamin B12 is a vital nutrient that controls many essential functions in your body. People with vitamin B12 deficiency, who don’t have enough vitamin B12 in their blood supply, eventually start to suffer major disorders in parts of their bodies where vitamin B12 is most needed.

Vitamin B12 is essential for the following biological functions:

Protecting your nerve cells by sustaining the myelin sheath

Promoting healthy red blood cell production

Supporting DNA synthesis

Maintaining stamina

Enhancing cognitive functioning

Breaking down homocysteine, a hormone linked with heart attack and stroke

Q: Where can I get vitamin B12?

A: Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) is a water-soluble nutrient, one of the B-complex vitamins. Vitamin B12 occurs naturally in all animal-based foods, including beef, poultry, fish, dairy, and eggs. The richest sources of vitamin B12 are liver, clams, crabmeat, lean beef, and halibut.

Q: What are the symptoms of B12 deficiency?

A: If you suspect you have vitamin B12 deficiency, it’s important to get your blood checked immediately. Left untreated, vitamin B12 deficiency can cause severe nerve cell damage and many uncomfortable side effects.

Common symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency include:

Extreme fatigue

Depression

Anxiety

Irritability

Aggressiveness

Hallucinations

Brain fog

Sluggish thinking

Low concentration

Short-term memory loss

Painful tingling and numbness in the hands and feet

Partial paralysis

Sore, red tongue

Burning sensation in mouth, including lips, gums, and tongue

Vision impairments

Muscular weakness and pain

Bone loss

Restless leg syndrome

Twitching

Difficulty walking

Poor motor skills

Frequent clumsiness

Diarrhea

Acid reflux

Q: Who’s at risk for getting vitamin B12 deficiency?

A: Vitamin B12 deficiency remains one of the most widespread sources of malnutrition. People who are most at risk include:

Q: What is pernicious anemia?

A: Pernicious anemia is a disorder that interferes with production of intrinsic factor, a digestive protein that is crucial for absorbing vitamin B12. Pernicious anemia patients must supplement with non-dietary vitamin B12 throughout their lives, as they are unable to access B12 from food or pills.

Q: I have vitamin B12 deficiency. Do I also have pernicious anemia?

A: Pernicious anemia is a specific form of vitamin B12 deficiency. There exist only two ways of getting pernicious anemia:

Damage to the stomach lining is one possible cause of pernicious anemia

The existence of one of two intrinsic factor antibodies confirms pernicious anemia as an autoimmune disorder.

Q: If I eat plenty of meat, can I still get vitamin B12 deficiency?

A: YES. If you are diagnosed with vitamin B12 deficiency and you’re not a vegan, then you probably fall into the category of people who are unable to digest vitamin B12 naturally from dietary sources, including food and vitamin B12 pills.

Q: What happens if I take too much vitamin B12?

A: There is no upper limit assigned to vitamin B12, so you can take as much as you like without suffering any side effects. The same cannot be said about many other vitamins, so always consult in your doctor before starting any new vitamin regimen.

Q: Once I start taking vitamin B12 supplements, how soon will I start to feel better?

A: Once you begin your regimen of vitamin B12, deficiency symptoms will start to decrease immediately, although you might not notice it right away. Some people notice decreased tingling in their hands and feet and increased stamina as early as hours after getting their first dose of vitamin B12, but for others, results occur more gradually, and may take several months before a noted increase in overall health is realized.

Timing is of utmost importance in treating vitamin B12 deficiency. If caught early on, then your chances of complete replenishment are excellent. In its latest stages, vitamin B12 deficiency can result in irreparable nerve damage.

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Is chronic fatigue the bane of your existence? Learn how vitamin B12, the energy vitamin, can help you beat the midday slump. Here are twelve excellent tips for boosting energy in the afternoon and preventing fatigue.

Are you chronically fatigued?

Chronic fatigue is more than just being tired. With chronic fatigue, you wake up tired even after sleeping all night long. You get exhausted by the middle of the afternoon, every single day, even if you haven’t overly exerted yourself. You know that you’re more fatigued than you should be, more tired than other people your same age.

1- Boost energy with vitamin B12!

Vitamin B12 is called the energy vitamin for good reason! Vitamin B12 increases stamina, enhances cognitive functioning, shields your nerve cells, supports DNA synthesis, and helps to break down homocysteine, which is a molecule that is linked with heart attack and stroke.

Without healthy levels of vitamin B12 in your blood supply, you may experience severe symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency, the most common one being constant fatigue, as diminished blood cells lead to diminished oxygen supplies, making your feel tired, unfocused, forgetful, lacking concentration, and downright depressed.

Even people who don’t have vitamin B12 deficiency can benefit from this crucial vitamin. Studies show that taking mega doses of vitamin B12 is great for increasing stamina, enhancing metabolic functioning, improving sports performance, and sustaining mental focus.

And since there’s no upper limit to taking vitamin B12, there’s no chance of overdosing or experiencing harmful side effects.

2- You snooze, you lose!

Resist the urge to hit the snooze button in the morning- that extra five minutes doesn’t give you any quality restful sleep, and you’ll only end up feeling dazed and fatigued by noon.

3- Sit up straight!

Sitting hunched over your computer desk inhibits healthy breathing, causing less oxygen to the brain. This makes you feel dizzy and fatigued. It’s also bad for your posture, and causes backaches, headaches, and neck aches. Instead, make a point of reminding yourself every half hour to sit up with your back straight.

4- Don’t skip a meal!

Do you brunch? Combining breakfast and lunch in one meal might seem like a great time saver, but you’re actually guaranteeing an energy crash in the afternoon. Skipping meals causes your blood sugar to drop, causing fatigue, nervousness, and poor concentration.

For optimum energy in the afternoon, opt for small regular meals containing high fiber, iron, and protein-rich foods.

5- Have a cuppa!

Caffeine doesn’t deserve the bad rap it’s been getting. Used responsibly, caffeinated beverages can help you perform better at work, reduce fatigue, and get past the afternoon slump.

Limit yourself to one or two cups of coffee per day, and you’ll reap all the energy-boosting benefits of caffeine without the addiction and withdrawal symptoms.

6- Hydrate yourself!

You may be dehydrated without even knowing it! Even minor symptoms of dehydration include fatigue and dizziness. So keep a water bottle at your work desk, by your bedside, and next to your telephone, and drink up!

7- Take five!

Sitting for long periods increases your risk of heart disease and obesity; it also causes fatigue! Even if it’s not your lunch break, take a few minutes to stand up, stretch your arms and legs, and rotate your head a few times. If you have access to an open window, even better! Take a few gulps of fresh air and you’ll feel less fatigued, and more energized.

8- Mix it!

Every now and then, it’s great to break from your humdrum routine. See if some of your work duties can be accomplished outdoors, or in a different setting. Take a different path to work. Even something simple like redoing your desk display can help to dispel the monotony of the workday and revive enthusiasm.

9- Be social!

You don’t have to hang out at the water cooler to interact with people. Take the opportunity in passing to strike up a quick conversation with somebody, or just pop in for a moment to say hi. It’ll improve your mood and increase energy.

10- Chill!

As the “witching hour” approaches, head off fatigue by splashing some cold water on your face, wiping your neck with a scented towelette, or even sucking on a few ice cubes. Cold is invigorating and excellent for fighting fatigue.

11- Don’t stress!

Stress and anxiety are energy draining and fatigue producing. To beat fatigue, try to stay focused on positive thoughts, and don’t allow negative thinking to ruin your day. Learn how to meditate, so that when you’re stressed, you will know how to get yourself into a state of relaxation.

Please tell us…

Do you suffer from chronic fatigue? If so, have you checked your vitamin B12 levels?

Do you have any questions or suggestions? Please leave your comments below.

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Vitamin B12 deficiency is often undetected, despite that fact that it’s one of the leading, fastest growing vitamin deficiencies affecting adults across all age groups. So, why is vitamin B12 deficiency, including pernicious anemia, so often misdiagnosed or completely ignored?

Undetected Vitamin B12 deficiency

An estimated 40% of people between the ages of 26 and 83 have mild vitamin B12 deficiency, but most will never get diagnosed- not until their vitamin B12 levels dip to a dangerous low, causing severe neurological, physical, and emotional problems.

Why are doctors missing this?

Although scientists have known about the risks of getting pernicious anemia from vitamin B12 deficiency for almost 100 years, many doctors neglect to include vitamin B12 blood testing as part of your routine checkup. This is one reason that vitamin B12 deficiency often goes undetected or misdiagnosed as other similar ailments like hypothyroid or diabetic neuropathy.

Another possible explanation for undetected vitamin B12 deficiency comes from a disagreement over what constitutes low vitamin B12 levels. In the US, “normal vitamin B12 levels” may range from 200 and 900 picograms per milliliter. But many people who report symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency fall into that normal range, so clearly the standard for defining B12 deficiency needs to be updated.

Say, “I want my B12 test!”

If you’ve been feeling unusually tired, unfocused, or forgetful, then you should be tested for vitamin B12 deficiency, in addition to other potential illnesses that cause similar symptoms.

Even if you eat plenty of B12-rich foods like beef, chicken, and fish, you may still be at risk, as many factors may interfere with your ability to digest vitamin B12 from food.

One blood test is all that is required to diagnose vitamin B12 deficiency, so ask for it immediately. Untreated, vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms may escalate into severe neurological damage, osteoporosis, or heart attack.

Once diagnosed, you may be required to submit to vitamin B12 injections on a regular basis.

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